The brand-new Acer Chromebook Spin 312 arrives and is already on sale

This is a weird time of year. Generally speaking, most people’s minds are turned to deals and getting last minute shopping done for the holidays. New tech announcements definitely happen, but they aren’t the norm. Broadly speaking, from a Chromebook perspective, we don’t see new devices announced – much less actually launching – in December. And the reasons there are understandable for sure.

However, this morning as I was browsing through my regular spots looking for Chromebook deals, a new device caught my eye at Best Buy; and it’s already on sale, too! The new Acer Chromebook Spin 312 is what you’d expect from the model name/number, and should fill a spot in Acer’s consumer Chromebook portfolio they’ve been a bit quiet in.

While Acer’s higher end segment is strong (the Spin 714 and 516 GE are both great examples of this), they haven’t had a knockout, affordable Chromebook in a little while that we’d recommend. This new Spin 312 could be that exact device. From the model, you can gather that it is a 12-inch device, a budget-friendly machine (300-series are Acer’s more-affordable devices), and a convertible. From Best Buy and Acer’s listings, we can get the rest of the details.

Acer Chromebook Spin 312 Key Specs

• Intel® i3-N305
• 12.2″ WUXGA (1920 x 1200) 16:10 Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass touchscreen
• 128GB storage
• 8GB LPDDR5 RAM
• Up to 13 hours battery life
• Backlit keyboard
• 2.65 lbs
• 11.02″ x 8.11″ x 0.70″
• Antimicrobial solution
• Wi-Fi 6E AX211
• Bluetooth 5.2
• 1080p webcam
• 1x USB Type-C ports
• 2x USB Type-A ports
• Full-size HDMI 1.4 port
• Webcam shutter

While there’s nothing mind-blowing here, this is a solid, portable, smaller Chromebook that could be a great fit for a lot of people. But I do have a couple questions on this one that Acer will hopefully resolve for me soon. First up, how bright is that screen? Neither listing says specifically, and that tends to mean it could be dim. The fact that they went with a 12.2-inch 16:10 touchscreen has me a little hopeful that it hits 300 nits, though. That’s not a super-common screen size and aspect ratio, so there’s hope.

Second, this clearly isn’t being labeled Chromebook Plus, but it meets all the necessary requirements. What’s going on there? I see no reason this device won’t be immediately eligible for Chromebook Plus features, so this is confusing and a bit unfortunate. Even if it gets the upgrade out of the box, why wouldn’t Acer want to put that label proudly on the lid?

Either way, we have a new, entry-level Chromebook that – on paper at least – looks pretty interesting. The $449 MSRP is a tad bit off-putting if it lingers in that price point very often, but the fact that it is showing up out of the gate at $299 makes this a very compelling offer. Assuming the screen is 300 nits and all the Chromebook Plus upgrades are there, this could be a device that could confidently command a $449 price, but I’ll need to see it first. At $299, though, I’d say go ahead and take the plunge if a smaller Chromebook was on your radar. Hopefully we’ll have one to review soon enough.